Raptor Gang
by Omegasaxon
Summary: "A VRMMO. I knew I had to try it out. Heck, I had no problems standing in line for 3 days to buy not one copy, but 2 for two friends of mine, even though I got my copy in the mail cause of the beta. I talked them both into playing on launch with me. It had to be one of the greatest experiences ever. Was it? Well..." SAO, told from an original character's PoV. AU. Rated M to be safe
1. Chapter 1

Raptor Gang

by: Omegasaxon

Chapter 1

* * *

"Link start!"

Disembodiment. White, pure white. Yet not painful to the eyes. Then, colors. Speeding past, leaving nothing but vertigo. A status check on all five senses. A set-up and log-in screen.

Well, I say screen, but it wasn't quite that simple. I was experiencing a room so-to-speak, where the transition to Virtual Reality took place. It looked like a screen in front of me, but you couldn't touch it. It wasn't in a specific place in front of you, it simply was there.

There was the fact that I'm a disembodied consciousness to take into account, therefore I had no arms and hands to reach out and touch it with. I would like to say it was a weird feeling, but that would require an ability to feel. Yeah, it really makes no sense to me. I just roll with it.

Anyway, after consciously thinking my account and pass info, the system logs me in, and immediately prompts me with this screen:

"Character Creation"

"Beta test data still available. Would you like to use it?"

"Saxon"

"Yes" | "No"

I hit the affirmative. I didn't need to spend another half-hour playing with the Character Creation system. It was surprisingly detailed after all.

And besides, knowing Oden, he probably beat me to Aincrad, and he was starting fresh too.

"Welcome to Sword Art Online!"

Vibrant blue distortion. A flash of white. A plaza – Romanesque in style, with variations. I knew this place well. I looked to the clock at the center, where I had told my two friends to wait for me at, and then quickly sprinted out to the nearest store. It was only really a block from the plaza, a small booth with real necessities. Primarily small health potions, and the starting sword, Short Sword. All of it relatively cheap too. Further, everyone started with a substantial amount of col, the currency of Aincrad. I bought six small health pots and three Short Swords before a free item caught my eye. A Beginner's Guidebook. Interesting, I see Argo managed to get it written after all. I grabbed two, since I already knew most of what should be in there, before returning to the plaza.

Tons of people had since logged in the five or so minutes it took me to make the transaction. As I was returning I had passed a black-haired player, who I recognized from the beta, sprinting out. I smiled and gave him the "sup" nod, but I don't even think he noticed. He was in quite a hurry, apparently.

Kirito, I believe that was his name. We had partied once in clearing the third floor boss during the beta. He was quite a solid swordsman at the time, if rather quiet.

Reaching the clock at the center and taking a quick look around, I saw that neither of my buddies had made it yet, so I flipped open the guidebook and started skimming through it. As I figured, it was a lot of really important stuff, like how to use Sword Skills, when new Skill Slots opened, mob areas and levels, and so on and so forth, but nothing I didn't already know.

She also included the quest to get the Anneal Blade, which most the Beta Testers I talked to agreed it was one of the best one-handed swords available on the first floor. I imagine that would persuade a lot of people to play one-handed sword style, at least for early game. Which I'm totally cool with. I didn't find that category of weapons particularly appealing when I eventually picked up a two-handed sword.

At this point, I felt a tap on my shoulder and turned to face a sword drawn in my face.

"Situational awareness bro, I would've fragged you if this wasn't a safe zone." the person said as he sheathed the sword. I recognized him readily enough. Like me, he changed little from his normal appearance. His hair was black and cut short, his skin sported the same dark tan he had in real life, and his face was clean shaven.

"Good thing the game told me this was a safe zone when I logged in. Welcome to Aincrad brother." And with that, we clasped hands before I immediately sent him a friend and party request.

Oden was not my actual brother in real life, but he was one of my closest friends along with his neighbor who was the only other person we were left waiting on.

"You beat Jando here, obviously... I imagine we're going to have a tough time figuring who he is out if he doesn't find us first." I told Oden. "Even though I told him not to vary from his 'pretty face' too much, I imagine he's having fun with it."

Not as soon as I said that, someone approached us and spoke in a voice I recognized all too well. "This may be the coolest thing ever."

"Hahaha, I know, trust me" I replied, turning to look at the speaker while pulling up my menu again. "Huh, you didn't change as much as I thought you might've."

To my surprise, Jando didn't change too much either. Buzzed hair, fairly tall, and white skin compared to me and Oden's tan.

"Nah, I figured it would have taken too long to get something I probably would end up not being happy with anyway." Jando replied.

I nodded, and brought up a trade window for him, before offering two potions, a Short Sword, and a guidebook. Confirming the trade, I did the same with Oden.

"I'll prolly end up explaining everything in the guidebook anyway, but its free, and the girl who wrote it may've added some things I didn't know about to it." I told them as we were making the trades.

Jando picked up on the irregularity there, "Wait, a girl wrote this?"

I laughed, "Yup, her character's Argo, and I actually think I may have contributed to her writing this, or at least confirmed some things for her." Which seems about right as Argo did ask me quite a few questions on mob mechanics and two-handed sword skill info the last time we had talked in the beta. "And before you even ask, she's cute."

Oden snickered as Jando was already through the words "Is she-" the word coming next being "hot?"

We had already started moving towards the gates to the mob fields as we had all agreed that since all 10,000 players were most likely logging on, we needed to start killing creatures fast since the game did not actually have a channel system, and that – as big as even the first floor was – most of the close fields would probably be crowded soon. It was truly a unique situation for us to be a part of a game's launch.

"I remember that the developers stated the leveling system and boss difficulty of the beta were modified to be easier than the final product, to account for the difference in the amount of players. Still, we should have no problem reaching level 2 or 3 on the boar mobs outside the Town of Beginnings easily enough, partying definitely should help us level faster. I'm not sure how much harder it is now, but I think we can still make it to the next town before we call it." I told them. Calling it referred to whenever any of us were finish gaming for the day, or night, or whenever.

Oden had thought about this as we walked, "You sure two potions are going to be enough?" Though reviving came at no cost, you had to start back at the Room of Resurrection in the Town of Beginning's, and Teleport Crystals wouldn't be available for awhile.

"Yeah, trust me, the most dangerous thing between us and the next town are wolves, and if we stick to the main path, we won't encounter packs. And its possible to one-hit wolves even at level one, provided they didn't get stronger which I don't think so." I told them. "Once you get a good handle on the Sword Skills, fighting is going to become wickedly easy, trust me. You don't even tire for the most part."

"That's awesome, so wait, why aren't we running right now?" Jando asked.

"Because the game somehow forces you to need to pant, and if you try to stop it by holding your breath, you suffer damage from a lack of oxygen. It'll even happen as you run and will be more severe if you hold a sprint for too long." I explained.

"Wow, that's pretty detailed." Jando said.

"Yeah. Anyway, we're at the gates, so lemme explain Sword Skills real quick. If you try to fight by just swinging randomly, you're not going to get far."

"How necessary are these Sword Skills for fighting?" Oden asked me.

"Fairly important. I mean, you deal damage without them based on your stats and weapon, but Sword Skills – even the basic ones – add a considerable amount more damage. And even the basic ones also allow you to move faster than possible otherwise, and come with no immediate cool down. If you can think fast enough, you can effectively chain them together for some sweet combos."

"Think fast enough?" Jando emulated.

"Yup. That's how you activate a Sword Skill. If you haven't seen them in your Skill menu yet, the basic one-handed ones everyone starts with are: Slant, Vertical, Uppercut, and Horizontal. To use them, hold the sword in the starting position of the skill you're using," I position my sword across my back to demonstrate, "consciously think the skill you're about to use right then and there," my sword glows a cyan color, "and start the attack and follow through the motion. The system will actually do the attack for you, its a weird feeling at first." I add as I perfom a clean Slant attack.

I loosely hold the sword at the end position and watch my two friends mess around with their swords until both of them get a Sword Skill off fairly quickly.

"Great! Now, this is important, when you want to chain the basic skills together, you have to think each separate skill right before you use it. You can't simply just think about the entire chain at the beginning, or you might not even get the first skill off. This will take a bit of practice, so make sure you can do it now. Two Horizontals are the easiest, but a Vertical or a Diagonal followed by an Uppercut are good too." From where my last attack ended, I perform an Uppercut immediately followed by a Vertical.

That took a couple minutes for Oden to get down, but Jando was struggling with the concept. After five minutes of trying again and again while Oden was practicing chaining four or five attacks together, Jando finally pulled off a Vertical-Uppercut.

"Dude, you gotta time your thoughts, haha, that's weird!" He exclaimed.

I replied, "It is, but trust me, you'll get a lot better with it after some practice. For the boars coming up, focus on one attack at a time, and dodging."

"Hey, what's this Final Thrust skill?" Oden asked me as he was looking through the menus.

"Its currently our strongest skill. It has high damage output and also forces you to travel forward about five or six feet insanely quickly, but it leaves you unable to perform another Sword Skill for about five seconds. Which is dangerous when you starting learning defensive or dodging skills. I imagine you'll really enjoy those." I reply to Oden. "By the way, as far as primaries go, you guys got confirmed on that yet? I'm def sticking to Two-handed Sword. Emphasis on Agility over Strength."

We had, before the official server service launch discussed styles and weapon classes we were going to use. We agreed that sticking to one class was for the best, because even in one month of solid playing, I only got my Two-handed Sword skill to 50. Barely. It was one of the last things I achieved before the beta ended. Of course, I was going to continue Two-handed Sword with an emphasis on Agility over Strength. A few beta testers thought this to be incredibly limiting as many two-handed swords had high Strength requirements, so many two-handed users wore heavy armor. However, I reasoned that many enemies in floors after two and three started using Sword Skills and were also considerably quick as well. High Agility would let me parry (which was a Sword Skill by itself that you didn't need to activate by performing a skill – it went up by simply blocking an attack, and succeeded based on character stats, sword parameters, and the parameters of the enemy and it's weapon) and dodge better which I figured would allow me to be more versatile overall. And it was more fun than shielding too! I know, I tried.

Oden also knew what he was going to do right from the get-go, based on the information I provided them from the beta. "Claws, definitely. You said Agility affects all sorts of speed-related things including dodging, right?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm not sure how it works, but the NerveGear recognizes when you're trying to dodge something and the system will assist you based on your parameters." I explained. "But ultimately, you need quick reflexes. All that Agility is useless if you don't react fast enough."

"You know me bro, I'll definitely be able to."

"Ha, I know. Jans, what about you?" Even though his character name was Jando, and we all agreed not to use our real names in-game, Jando still agreed that we could use at least Jans if we wanted.

"I dunno, I want to give everything a try first before I come to an actual choice." he said.

"Sweet, sounds good. The market in the next town has a wider variety of weapons and better swords than what it is available here. There is a shield available here if you wanna run by a shop and grab one?" I inflected the last part as a question.

"Nah, I should be good, I want to practice dodging too. Seems like fun." Jando responded.

"It totally is! Anyway, lets go kill shit."

Unfortunately I realized after the first Blue Boar died, that leveling was indeed scaled down drastically. We would be incredibly lucky to get to level two before we called it. Oden noted it too.

"Dude, its going to take a while before we get to level two at this rate"

"I know, that was scaled more than I expected. Still, lets keep killing boars until you two are real solid with Sword Skills, then we can start moving on to more rewarding mobs." I replied.

Oden adapted quickly, taking out the boars without sustaining damage, Jando took a couple hits before he could read it readily enough. We spent quite a bit of time actually just killing boars, relishing in how awesome it was to be an virtual reality. Even for me, having had a month's prior experience, activating a Sword Skill and taking out an opponent was one of the most awesome things ever. As we continued to dispatch boars left and right, I noted that the feeling better had stay because grinding was something we would be doing a whole lot of if we were serious about this game.

Watching Jando eliminate the last Blue Boar in the immediate area, I looked back and noted that other people were starting to filter out of the Town of Beginnings and that we should probably start moving on if we wanted elbow room and more mobs to kill.

"What do y'all think, try something tougher?"

"Hell yeah!"

"Definitely." came the replies. Sheathing our swords, we continued down the path towards where I knew wolves started spawning and we speculated on what to expect as far as monster encounters, quests, and even Floor Bosses. I had explained what to look forward to as far as the first boss went, which was the hardest one of the beta, and mentioned that, unless we catch word of a raiding party, the three of us shouldn't attempt it until we were at least level fifteen, though fifteen would make it a lot easier. I also explained the Last Attack Bonus that was unique only to floor bosses.

As the day drew on and we had made considerable headway into combating wolves, I noted that we should start to focus on getting to the second town so we wouldn't have to worry about our item supplies. None of us had used a potion yet, but all three of us had beaten down over half the durability of our first Short Swords and I estimated at this rate we wouldn't get to Horunka Village before our second sword breaks.

Ten minutes later, after we were celebrating each other over tackling a pack of wolves for the first time and overcoming them easily, a flash of light enveloped all of us and the next thing we knew, we were back at the starting plaza, and it was still crammed with players in every direction. And more were appearing by the second.

After the last flash of light died away, and the bell stopped tolling, everyone quieted down as we noticed the flashing red "WARNING" symbol above it. It expanded out, and from the web it formed, a red ooze substance descended, before forming slowly into a red-cloacked figure, several stories tall, high above us.

And we realized, as it spoke, that from that point on, our lives were changed. Forever.

* * *

_"Attention, players. Welcome to my world. My name is Kayaba Akihiko._

_As of this moment, I am the sole person who can control this world. I'm sure you've already noticed that the logout is missing from the main menu._

_But this in not a defect in the game. I repeat... This is not a defect in the game._

_It is a feature of Sword Art Online. You cannot log out of SAO yourselves. And no one on the outside can shutdown or remove the NerveGear._

_Should this be attempted, the transmitter inside the NerveGear will emit a powerful microwave, destroying your brain and thus ending your life._

_Unfortunately, several players' friends and families have ignored this warning, and have attempted to remove the NerveGear. As a result, two hundred and thirteen players are gone forever, from both Aincrad, and the real world. As you can see, news organizations across the world are reporting this, including the deaths. Thus you can assume the danger of a NerveGear being removed is now minimal. I hope you will relax and attempt to clear the game._

_But I want you to remember this clearly. There is no longer any method to revive someone within the game. If your HP drops to zero, your avatar will be forever lost. And simultaneously, the NerveGear will destroy your brain._

_There is only one means of escape. To complete the game. You are presently on the lowest floor of Aincrad, Floor 1. If you make your way through the dungeon and defeat the Floor Boss, you may advance to the next level. Defeat the final boss on Floor 100, and you will clear the game._

_And finally, I've added a present from me to your storage. Please see for yourselves._

_Right now, you are probably wondering 'Why?' Why would Kayaba Akihiko, developer of the NerveGear and Sword Art Online, do all this?_

_My goal has already been achieved. I created Sword Art Online for one reason... To create this world and intervene in it._

_And now, it is complete._

_This ends the tutorial for the official Sword Art Online launch. Good luck, players."_

* * *

Author's Notes

Hi. I'm Omegasaxon. You just read the first chapter to my second fanfic: Raptor Gang.

My first fanfic for Fire Emblem is currently on extended hiatus. One day, I'll get back to it, but not for a long time. I do believe this story is easier, and more fun to write.

The story will be primarily focus on the trio introduced, Saxon and his two closest friends Oden and Jando. I do not plan on introducing more Original Characters that last longer than serving one basic function. I will be using characters such as Argo, Klien and more pretty often. And I feel like I should go ahead and say this:

**DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING.** Except Saxon. d=

I plan on following the canon Aincrad. However, events will not play out the same. I guess that's makes this story an Alternate Universe. So be it. I'm the one writing it.

Further, I has no beta. All mistakes are mine. Feel free to point them out to me. I appreciate all reviews and will do my best to respond to any Private Messages that prompt an answer.

I hope you enjoyed the first story! Keep an eye out for the second chapter soon, and thank you for reading! =D


	2. Chapter 2

Raptor Gang

Chapter 2

* * *

I pulled out the mirror Kayaba gave everyone and stared.

It reflected me. And for a bit I couldn't understand what was wrong.

I glanced back up. Looked around. People were freaking out.

And then I looked back at the mirror.

At some point, it hit me. I had chosen my avatar to have purple eyes and hair. Now they were brown and black respectively. Reaching behind me, I confirmed that it was still tied back in the ponytail I always had behind me.

By this point, panic was ensuing. Screaming, hollering, mayhem, and a few people scrambling to get out. As I continued to look around, the finality of the situation started to sink in.

We are stuck here, and if our HP hits zero, we die. It was short and simple. Pulling down my menu, I scrolled through to where the logout button was supposed to be, but found the slot blank. Tapping it a few times achieved nothing.

"So I guess its true." I said to my two friends. I looked at Oden. His expression was hard. Of the three of us, he's the one who was best at keeping his cool. I'm pretty good at it too, but he's seen me break down a couple times in the past. I turned to Jando who's mouth was slightly open, as he was turning between Oden and I.

"If anyone's going to freak out, it can be done later. For now, we need a plan." I tell them. "This kinda sucks, I'm going to miss people on the other side, but frankly, we're stuck here. And we need to beat this game. I don't like the idea of my body atrophying on the other side."

Oden stayed silent.

"Yeah, but- ..." Jando started, unable to form a complete sentence.

"Our situation is much, much more dangerous now, I know that. But, guys. We. Can Do. This!" I'm nearly yelling at this point. "We play it super safe. We do not abandon each other, and absolutely NO going out solo. We can win this." I finish resolutely.

"But what if its a lie? What's the point of putting our lives in danger?" Jando asked.

"If you believe this is a lie, then you should also believe that our lives aren't in danger. Look, this is a crisis. A dangerous one. But I'm not going to sit around and wait for it to end. Everyone here is in the same exact danger. And one thing I understand is that everyone has the same exact capabilities. It'll get hard, but I'm going to do it. I'm sorry for basically dragging y'all into this, but you want to do something about it? Help me get you guys the fuck out." I continue. "Kayaba's a genius, so we better take this situation as real. Sitting here in this town and rotting away is bullshit. None of us have anything to turn around to. So let's fucking step up and continue on."

Oden nodded, his resolve setting in as he accepts that, unless the logout button reappears, we had better damn beat this game. But Jando had a couple more questions.

"What if we die and wake up normally? No death involved?"

"What if you commit suicide and start another life in the future? That's bullshit man. You saw the News reports during that speech. Looked pretty fucking legit bro. I even recognized that hot British news reporter for BBC." I respond.

"And what if one of us dies by accident?" Jando asked his last question.

"I ain't fucking going to let that happen. I survived the beta easily enough. I only died once cause I overextended myself on a new floor trying to get to the next city. You better fucking believe I'm not going to let that happen." was my response.

"Okay, okay. I believe you." and to my surprise, he smiled. "Kinda like hardcore mode right?"

All I could do was laugh as I turned to Oden. "You good too bro? I know this situation sucks, but what else can we do?"

"I'm with you man, why'd you even ask?" came his answer.

"Alright. Lets start with heading to the next town then. There are better quests there, better equips, and it'll hopefully be less crowded. We can plan from one of the inns when we get there." I said.

We turned to leave. Many people were still yelling or crying or messing with their menus dazedly. We walked past one young girl in a red shirt who was sobbing uncontrollably on the ground. I stopped, and looked down at her as more of the reality set in further. Not really knowing what else to do, I crouched down and lightly put my hand on her shoulder.

"Hey," she looked up at me, "we're going to get you out of here." I said firmly, nodding to my two friends before looking back into her eyes "I was a beta tester and we cleared the first eight floors in a month. It'll take longer to get to the top, but we can do it. So don't give up, alright?"

Her voice came out wavy, but she eventually asked "Y-you really think its possible? T-to win?"

"Hell. Yes. I would never have put on the NerveGear if I didn't. All of us are gamers. And ultimately, we're in a game – a death game. But we can win this okay?" When she nodded, I stood up, and had a sudden realization. All through the beta, I never understood why the inns were as numerous as they were, and perhaps the food as realistic as it was. Now I knew. "When you collect yourself, go to the big six-story inn and restaurant outside of the plaza. Get yourself some food and a room for the night. Be sure to grab a Guidebook from any store – its free. It'll help you with all the basics. If you decide to venture outside of town, be absolutely careful, and stick to the main path." At this point I pulled up my menu and sent her a friend request. "And if you ever need anything, don't hesitate to shoot me a message." I finished.

She looked from me to the request in front of her, before nodding.

"Silica has accepted your friend request!"

"Thank you... Saxon-san."

I nodded, with nothing left to say, joined my friends as we left the plaza.

"Trying to cheer her up?" Oden asked. He was curious, and perhaps the question would've sounded more teasing if the situation wasn't so serious.

"She needed hope." I simply responded.

"I thought you didn't believe in hope." He asked. And perhaps that was true.

"But if she does, then its enough." I reasoned. Anything to help.

Jando looked thoughtful for a moment, "Wait why don't you believe in hope-" he started to ask, before I heard someone shouting my username from behind us.

Silica had caught up to us, and started panting heavily when she stopped, the system forcing her to breath since everyone's sprinting skill level was zero at this point.

"May I join your group?" she asked in between breaths.

My eyebrow went up, I was rather surprised. "Did you have any other friends who are playing too? And are you sure you want to go fight with us now?"

Silica shook her head no. "Most of my friends really wanted to play, but none of them wanted to wait for the first batch. I only managed to win mine in a music competition in Tokyo. And I want to fight with you guys. If you think you can win this game, then I can too!"

I had to smile at that. Apparently I gave her quite some hope. After sending her the party request and watching her health bar take its place in the top left part of my vision, I told her "We're going to be traveling to the next town. The shops there have better wares and the quests are more rewarding. But first, we should prolly shop here and pick up a set of spare swords along with a few potions to go around. And I still recommend getting the Guidebook too."

We ended up getting our current swords repaired as it was cheaper than buying another sword, and Oden opted to buy a Small Claw, so he could at least start his Claw Skill leveling. After Jando asked if we could get to the second town without difficulty, and I told him it was incredibly easy if we stuck to the main road, he decided to buy a club and see if the Mace Skill was worth pursuing. I didn't buy a second weapon deciding to let Silica do a fair amount of grinding to catch up to us and since I knew two-handed swords became available in the second town. All of us picked up two more potions, with Silica getting four to be even with us.

And so we started the trek to Horunka Village. Stopping at the first Blue Boar, we let Silica try out Sword Skills under our careful supervision. After taking one hit, I threw a rock to aggro the boar, and re-explained the execution of skills as she slowly re-healed. I didn't mind, considering this was working my Parry skill, however slowly.

After taking that one down with some practice, Silica proceeded to take on two more with about the same ease as the three of us and, satisfied, we continued down the path.

I don't remember exactly when we had left the Town of Beginnings, but it was roughly 7:30 PM when we reached the second town. All of us reached level two as well. Knowing we had to be especially frugal with our money, it was comforting to know that we made a fair amount of col from the mobs as well as six total additional potions and other useful things like boar meat, tusks, wolf fangs and pelts. Buying the first Two-handed Sword available, Iron Broadsword, I switched out my first Skill for the Two-Handed Skill, kept Parrying as my second, and with my new third slot, added Cooking.

Oden had already aquired Claws in his first slot, Acrobatics in his second, and Searching in his third. We had talked previously, about how to compliment each other and Oden said he'd prefer to stick to on-field Skills to maximize his battle effectiveness.

Jando on the other hand agreed to pick a useful utility skill same as me, but kept his first two battle-orientated for now. Thus his current skill slots were One-handed War Hammer, Parry, and Equipment Repair.

Silica was exceptionally lucky in getting a great dagger drop from a wolf mob, and ended up switching out One-handed Sword for Dagger, Acrobatics, and Musical Instrument.

As far as stats went, I stuck with my focus on Agility and some Strength, and both Oden and Silica mirrored me. Jando instead had a more even spread between Strength, Agility, and Vitality.

Overall, we made a solid team on the field. Lone monsters were easy, and two at a time was similarly so, as we learned to utilize switching effectively. Three mobs and we usually just decided on the spot who should stand by. It got interesting when tackling four or more mobs. With my experience, I would go in first and aggro what I could, draw it back to Oden who pulled a monster off, let Jando or Silica take its attention, repeated for the other, and then quickly pulled one or two more mobs off for himself, able to easily keep track of two monsters at once. This minimized the time that I had to hold more than three mobs attentions. Not too difficult with my Parrying and reflexes, but definitely left room for mistakes if I wasn't on top of my game.

Literally.

What?

As the sun set, we moved closer to town, but didn't stop fighting mobs. Light from the town made it fairly easy to see most mobs, and the fields surrounding the town were fairly flat with little concealment and cover. Through vigorous fighting, all four of us managed to reach level three to much of our delight. At this point, Silica finally commented that she was getting sleepy. Not wanting to risk anything, we all agreed to call it for the night.

Over the following days, we continued grinding and working our main skills. Jando at one point got a spear drop not native until the last town on the first floor and decided to try it out for awhile. Oden and I made considerable headway into our respective weapon fields, and were fitting considerably well into a fighting pair better than anything I had been able to accomplish in the beta. Though I made it a point to cycle everyone with everyone else in battle for even experience distribution and practicing with each other, it became clear Oden and I dispatched mobs most efficiently when we worked together. Honestly, I felt I worked well with everyone equally, but I can't exactly argue against the results. Silica, in a surprising moment confidence basically made me see the results for what they were.

"But Saxon-san, you and Oden-san took out an entire pack of wolves without having to Parry once. You mostly one-hit everything! And Oden-san managed to kill the other three wolves before they even saw you!"

I wanted to say she was exaggerating at this point, I didn't get quite a good look at those wolves before they died, but Oden IS an efficient killing machine. Heck I bet his DPS is better than mine at this point.

Jando seemed to be most effective and comfortable solo, but him and me made one hell-of-an-unbreakable line. We would frontline like total badasses, and let Oden and Silica flank and kill stuff easily.

Silica. This surprising fourth quickly caught up with us (which surprised me), had the best drop luck (she was most likely the richest of the four of us already, which surprised me), and was just as fast as me and Oden (which surprised me).

Did I mention her singing voice? It surprised the fuck outta me. She's good!

Other than that, she was a great utility, filling most any role, except frontlining, with ease and worked well with each of us. While the three of us guys subconsciously toned down the maturity level in our language when we derped and bantered between fighting, Silica had quickly warmed up to us and was turning out to be a lot of fun to have as part of our gang.

We made an exceptional party and frankly, I was looking up. I stayed focus on the game, keeping everyone motivated when the grinding got boring – which it certainly could. While I normally bowed out to let Oden lead in most teamwork settings, I was more or less the expert with almost as much experience as him in being in charge of us. I took the role of party leader and did well, if the results were anything to show. Challenging quests and tough mobs were absolutely no problem. In fact, falling into the yellow HP zone was an incredibly rare occurrence for anyone. We did well for ourselves, even if we had to accommodate more food and drink and another room entirely for Silica, it was pocket change in comparison to the col we made consistently.

Neither my Cooking skill nor Jando's Reparing skill were efficient enough to save us money over services rendered in town, it definitely worked in a pinch when we were out training. While I doubt Jando would be able to make weapons that would really be useful to us like most Blacksmith-focused builds, repairing what we had wasn't a problem and would eventually become a godsend. And as food was one enjoyable thing here other than fighting, I was pretty highly motivated to increase it.

Perhaps one of our most worthwhile achievements so far was obtaining one Anneal Blade. It went to Jando who used it to make his final decision on being a One-handed Sword user. In fact, as soon as he got it, he tested his ability to upgrade it and successfully pulled off a plus one which he applied to Accuracy.

It was in high spirits when we finally reached Torubana Town. Our progress had been steady and for the most part, we were left alone, having not seen a single player outside of town. We stayed in town long enough to update any weak equips, reallocate skills accordingly and pick up basically any quest we could find at this point. To my surprise, quests had started to scale up in terms of rewards, making them a must-do.

* * *

Ten days after the death game started, we found the dungeon entrance, in a much different place than I remembered.

"Lets not go in yet. I feel confident that we can survive in there, but things have changed enough from beta that I want to do the cautiously. Lets all get one more level apiece before going in." I explained.

"What were the levels of the mobs in there during beta?" Jando asked me as we turned around.

"The lowest was level eight. And even a solo player could most likely handle them effectively if he or she played smart. But like I've said, things have changed."

"You think one level will make that much of a difference?" Oden then asked me, voicing Silica's thoughts as she turned to me at this question as well.

"Yeah, and it would definitely put my mind at ease. We should be fine now, but no need to push it. Lets go back and face some of the higher level forest mobs for today." I said.

And I really was sure the dungeon wouldn't be a problem knowing how well we fought. Honestly, any one of us could solo most of it safely, based on what I knew. But I brought us this far by being careful. This was a game, sure, but our lives were on the line – one level on the safety net was a comfort. When we finally finished out that day, Oden, me, and Jando were all level eleven and Silica was mostly through ten. We arrived at the inn we were staying at and had started eating dinner when I heard a familiar voice behind me.

"Finally caught up to you. I thought you had two friends you were bringing into the game, not three?"

I turned as I brought up my interface at the same time and shooting the person a friend request before answering, "Ha, Silica here was someone I met on launch day and befriended, and she became a part of our crew since she didn't have any friends on this side. By the way, the tall blonde pretty face is Jando, this is Oden next to me, and the young girl is Silica. Guys, this is Argo, who I met during beta."

Pleasantries went around before Argo turned back to me and started inquiring on some things, "How quickly did you leave the Town of Beginnings? I kept an eye out for most the people I knew, but I didn't actually catch up to anyone until I got to Horunka.?"

"Almost immediately. There were plenty of reasons not to stick around in that chaos." I replied.

"You're right, but I need to tell you, most everyone back there pretty much loathe all the Beta Testers for ditching them. Hundreds died during the second day, and that number's been rising constantly."

I whistled. I didn't want to believe it, but I've found many things easier and easier to accept these days, no matter obtuse or sudden. "Your Guidebook was available to everyone right? By the way, excellent job with that, minus a few irregularities, I found it to be right on point."

With her hood up I couldn't really be sure, but I think Argo might've blushed. Although she did pick up some make-up recently and redid the markings she had from beta, so it was hard to tell. "I tried letting everyone know, but 9,000 people is an insanely large number. Also, I'd like to get what's changed from you so I can update that Guidebook asap."

I nodded, to both the reply and the request. "It is. And I'll send you a PM with everything I've found so far. I'll start making sure every player I meet has one, but frankly, I've only encountered but so many."

"Yeah, most players out here should know most the info, though more and more people are heading this way, however slowly. I know there was a strong six-player party looking to find the dungeon earlier." Argo commented.

"Been there, not the some place as the beta. Here, I'll give you the map data." And we went through the basic transaction for that.

"Thanks. Is there anything-" Argo started to offer, but I cut her off.

"No. People's lives are on the line, and anything to help them survive, I'll offer it. Though I think the four of us want to help most by clearing the final boss and beating the game."

Argo nodded, taking in what I said, "Do you think you can do it?"

"I know we can. Its just a matter of how long its going to take us."

"Alright, thank you for all of this. And be wary of who you tell about being a beta tester. Known PKs have happened over it already." Argo warned me before getting up and literally disappearing from sight.

Silica gasped. "Player killing? Is it really getting that bad?"

"I want to hope not, but... shit. That's bad. Guys if we're ever caught in a situation with PKers, try to go for a weapon break, failing that, stay alive. If that means taking out whoever's attacking you... I would do it. I hate to say it, but its more than just an 'us or them' mentality. The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, and we're trying to clear this game for everyone's sake. Take some comfort in that, however much you can." It was a solemn voice I delivered these words with, but they needed to be said; we needed to understand. And I certainly wasn't going to let anyone stand in our way.

Even if the world hated me for it, I had my goal. I justified it. And as much as I determined reasonable, the end would justify the means.

This was a serious blow to morale, but thankfully, we kept a wide berth from other players, and it seemed they did the same.

* * *

A little over three weeks from launch marked an important moment in our party's time in the game. We were going to scout the first Floor Boss. I was confident in our safety margins, and since I was going in as lead, I had our one healing crystal on hand. From what I remembered from the beta, I had everyone positioned to appropriately deal with incoming mobs while I tackled the boss, with Jando ready to switch if need be. That would be the most dangerous point. If I switched, Oden and Silica would immediately evacuate out (the command we used was exfill), and if I couldn't tank the blows from the boss, Jando wouldn't be able to either so we would have to leapfrog switch our way out. This was going to be a tough scout, especially since we have no real idea what boss level we were truly dealing with, but we've been training consistently on the dungeon to the point where even the most dangerous mobs of the first floor were child's play. Scouting a boss shouldn't be too difficult.

"Alright guys keep a tight formation, and keep your eyes open. Be ready to turn towards the door and sprint." Everyone nodded. Silica was trembling a little bit but it was nothing that I reasoned would hinder her. She would be the closest to the door, and her level was equal to us. Even if she froze and didn't run in to begin with, I'm confident that the three of us can at least get a quick scout and get out safely. I've put a lot of thought into this.

Still, I placed a hand on her shoulder, "Don't worry. Its going to be big and scary, but you're going to see four health bars, and you're going to know that its defeatable. We're able to win this. You know that, right?" It was mainly a rhetorical question, though she nodded anyway, and I replied. "Good. Take a breath, follow us in, and when I say run, come back here. You got this." I smiled before facing the door with Jando. "Alright guys, lets not keep it waiting any longer."

And we pushed open the door.

* * *

Auther's Notes

I think I got everything I wanted in this chapter (lightly flesh out a bit more on personalities, and present what we were going to tackle the boss with). Feels a little rushed at the last section there, perhaps I may redo that later down the road, but it isn't too bad for my tastes.

Look forward to Asuna and Kirito being introduced next chapter fully fledged, the EPIC first Floor Boss, and perhaps why the story is named "Raptor Gang"!

And in case anyone is wondering, my characters are not over-powered. This honestly how I feel it would have played out, and despite having not run into anyone except Argo on the frontlines, they are certainly not alone out there.

(You may recall in the anime Kirito left IMMEDIATELY after Kayaba gave the tutorial)

And Kirito is going to remain the solo badass that he was in the anime, and uncontestedly one of the best SAO players. He's just not alone up there anymore XD

Still no beta, so I claim all the mistakes, as well as the character Saxon. Everything else does NOT belong to me.

Thanks for reading! =D


	3. Chapter 3

Raptor Gang

Chapter 3

* * *

I won't lie, I'm not that selfless of a person. Words given to my party members and friends that drove us to train everyday, every hour, every passing moment – not altruistic. Of course, I do want to help the people who couldn't leave the Town of Beginnings, those who wished to escape this death game of Kayaba's; I would give it everything I had knowing there was nothing else I could turn to. But lurking in the shadow of these thoughts were those of bravado, bombast, boastfulness. To be bolstered as the best of Sword Art Online players simply because it represented just that.

And as me and my friends, Jando, Oden, and Silica stared down Illfang the Kobold Lord as he charged the length of the room, I held some sentiment of pride that we were the ones doing this, out of 10,000 players who wish to see this game beat. We were paving the way.

The room shook with each step Illfang took, but I barely blinked. My hand was held up in a fist, signaling to hold and nothing more. Three Ruin Kobold Sentinels were set right in front of him. As soon as they were close enough for comfort, I dropped my fist and almost instantaneously, Oden on my left dashed out to meet the first sentinel. Silica, almost as quickly, sprinted towards the one on the far right. I knew she was scared, but in three weeks, I gave her every reason to trust my judgment, and this moment – charging out to the most dangerous thing any of us have encountered thus far – spoke of a tremendous amount of trust and faith in her skills and my leadership. One more sentinel and Illfang himself. I was not going to let her down.

Jando took a more deliberate approach to the last sentinel directly between me and Illfang. That put him right in line for the boss's devastating axe, but I was ready for it. Intercepting the large boss, I quickly executed two back-to-back Diagonals, one to block and the other to catch the axe in a parry – the absolute moment of truth. In my mind, this was the scariest moment of our scouting mission.

And for a moment, I thought my fears realized. My Strength stat and Parry skill were not enough to hold the axe in lock. I was losing ground, sank to a knee, and my HP was ever-so-slowly dropping.

"No!" I yelled, I would not accept that now. Breaking the lock, I starting chaining Sword Skills together as best I could blocking the monster's axe when I needed to and landing hits on his shield where I could. About thirty seconds in, I had seen enough.

"Exfill! Exfill NOW!" I commanded. I performed a couple heavy hitting Sword Skills that would buy me a split second's worth of time – enough to turn around and sprint the fuck out.

Thankfully, my party members reacted quickly to my command and were able to escape with no problems. As we stood well outside the boss room, I turned and look back. Illfang stood a ways in staring at us as the sentinels patrolled about. His health was back at full now, and the sentinels were slowly rehealing. After a few moments, the doors started to close on there own, recognizing that no players were in the room.

"Okay, lets write a field report here. Mobs don't generally come this close to a Floor Boss room. What did you guys observe as far as the sentinel spawn patterns went?" I asked.

"A lot like you had said. The three from the beginning, and several more spawned in and were auto-aggro'd to you. If you had stayed a second longer, we would have been overwhelmed keeping them off you." Oden replied.

"Sweet, thanks." I said, taking down a couple notes. "How was fighting them?"

Oden replied again, "Their parrying is on point. I doubt even you'd be able to power through those poleaxes, but quick, precision hits can do the trick. They aren't anything too dangerous, just very tanky. Two-man teams should be able to dispatch them easily."

Jando also had stuff to add here, "Yeah, they don't deal that much damage, but their parrying is higher than mine. I can't hold a lock with them, but I can knock them back pretty hard. I think when we finally got out of there, eight sentinels had spawned."

"Eight total or in addition-"

"Total"

"Cool, thanks. They actually emulate Illfang. I found I had similar problems on a larger scale. His parrying far outranks mine, but I have a better Strength stat." I told them.

I had actually explained to them earlier the rather meticulous system of Parrying and Shielding. I didn't know exactly how it worked, but Parry focused on when weapons locking together happened. Being able to safely hold a lock for awhile required a solid Parry skill. However, simply striking an opponent's incoming attack required Parry to a lesser extent and more in the Strength stat. Whoever had the higher stat or skill parameters would end up dealing a tiny amount of damage in these instances. Shielding worked similarly, but a shield wouldn't deal damage back to the attacker, however it was considerably harder to get around a shield defense, making shields a rather safe option.

And by safe, I mean popular.

"Okay. Last thing, and we can't exactly scout it. Illfang'll switch to a curve sword at his last five percent of health. He'll be invincible during the switch, but he stands still. I think the sword is a talwar if I remember correctly, but I could not see it at all during our scouting. Did any of y'all manage to get a good look at the sword on his back?" I asked them.

All my companions shook their heads no.

"Well, in any case, we can at safely say its a one-handed sword of some sort. The moment he throws his axe and buckler, we should be able to surround and pummel him to death before he ever gets an attack off... In theory. We definitely don't want to get caught up in a duel with his Parrying ability." I was basically just thinking out loud at this point.

After I stopped rambling, I pulled out a couple baskets from my inventory. "Well, anyway, lets just eat dinner here, I don't feel like trekking back just yet, and monsters won't bother us this close to the door. Silica! You did awesome today! You get a sandwich first." as told her as I passed one over, before passing the basket along to the other two.

"What're you talking about Saxon-san, you are the one that-" she started, but I cut her off.

"You stood toe to toe with the strongest mob monster anyone has fought yet. You came out completely unscathed, and didn't even back down when you first saw the Floor Boss. I'm proud of you!" I praised her.

Jando also added to what I was saying, "No seriously, those sentinels didn't screw around, you did great in there!"

We enjoyed doting on Silica for sure, treating her as the younger sister of the group. Or at least I would assume that. I'm an only child after all.

"Heck, I bet with a couple more levels and some more practice in you skills, you could stand toe-to-toe with the boss itself." and I wasn't exaggerating either. Two or three levels was a big difference and I already considered us over-leveled for the area, or at least would if this was a normal MMO and not the freak-death game it turned into.

Silica took the praise in stride, having gotten used to the doting and whatnot after a couple weeks' worth of it. "What about you?" she started to ask, addressing me, "I was worried about you for a little bit, but then you started fighting the boss way better than I've ever seen you fight! I almost thought you were going to take it down then!"

I had to chuckle at that, "Nah, I doubt I was dealing any damage at all, and I was just doing what I could to keep it at bay and observe what I could of it."

Even Oden had something to add at this point, "I dunno man, you actually were dealing damage there, a small amount of health went down each time you struck it and you weren't even landing hits on the body itself. And I gotta tell you, you were moving faster than I've ever seen you yet."

Knowing Oden didn't say this too lightly, I was a bit surprised. "Really? I mean, it felt no different than when we're fighting the various forest and dungeon mobs. I only had to really keep track of one weapon and parry it when I knew it was attacking."

"Dude, you and Oden already move insanely fast when you guys are fighting normal enemies. But you made that fight in there look like stuff from movies. You made it look easy." Jando told me.

"Well good! You guys know damn well if I can pull that off, all of you can too! Even you Silica." I told them triumphantly.

"I haven't even tried to parry with claws bro, I don't think I'd try that with a boss" Oden said.

"Ha, with your skill set, Illfang would be dead three times over before he manage to get off one attack." I retorted.

The bantering continued as we finished eating. All three of my friends seem to take some confidence from my swordsmanship display against Illfang. And hey, I'm cool with that. As we started the long trek back to town, I started using a fresh note to write down how I felt we should best tackle the beast and clear the first floor, and included as much information about the boss as well as the map data to pass it along to Argo later.

Completing my notes as we reached the dungeon exit, I saved them and composed a quick PM to Argo, asking her to meet me at the inn my party was staying at, including the reason why.

It was nightfall by the time we finally made it back, considering we basically stopped at every monster along the way, knowing each one was damn important. When we got to the inn, I beelined straight for the table I knew Argo would be at, and was followed by Oden while Jando and Silica opted to go sell loot, repair items, and other various menial tasks that returning to town entailed. Flagging a waitress for an order, I waited till a chair shuffeled in front of me and Argo appeared out of the darkness.

"So you actually scouted the boss room?" she asked.

"You sound surprised; that we did or that we're still alive?" She didn't sound surprised at all, but I enjoyed the small talk.

"Funny Saxon-san, that'll be fifty col." came her sharp retort.

"I'll pass thanks. Here," I initiated a trade and put in my notes and map data, "lemme know if there's anything else I can find out for ya. That should be a nice update for the Guidebook though. The map data is for you to use however you want."

"Wow... this is extensive." Huh, it's rare for me to actually catch Argo off-guard. "Wait, the boss had a talwar in the beta, you think its different this time around?"

I paused for a second, "Nah, its prolly a talwar, none of us just got a real good look so I didn't make any assumptions then."

Argo nodded.

"One more thing, I want to start forming a raiding party for this floor. Ideally I think three six-player parties should easily mop it up just as long as everyone is a good level. I would recommend at least level fifteen... buuut." I drew out, knowing what to expect.

"Fifteen!? Are you guys really that high already?" Argo asked curiously. I thought about jokingly charging her for that information, and I would have in any normal circumstance. Instead, I opted to open my user interface and bring up my stats, before turning so she could see it.

"Of course, I don't think I need to say that this information should not find its way around whatever black market you run." I say in a warning tone, knowing she'd get the message. She could tell people there were level fifteen players clearing the dungeon, but she better not associate a name with it.

"It won't. You think a three-party raiding team can take on the boss?"

"It'd be tough at normal levels, but still possible. Frankly, I intend to try and get two more levels before holding a raiding party meeting. By that point, I'm positive my group alone could deal with the boss. But it would take two other parties to keep the sentinel mobs off us considering how fast and where they spawn." I explained. "Hmm, can you go ahead and start letting your contacts know about a meeting for a raiding party that I want to hold on Saturday?"

"Yeah, its the least I can do for all this information. I might end up selling the map data if you don't mind," she said. "I'll tell them to keep the information low key too." She added, knowing I would appreciate it.

"Sweet. Anyway, I'm going to go try and convince my party to grind some more this evening. You wanna come with? You'd be able to start catching up on levels at least." I offered, trying to sound casual.

"Thank you, but I want to get started on the Guidebook first, and there are other things I need to do too. I'll catch up to your level soon – don't slack off."

* * *

It was five days later when I was pushing the group as hard as ever on the highest floors of the dungeon. Over the past few days, more and more players had been filtering up the levels of the dungeon looking for the Floor Boss, as a rumor had gone around that it had been found. Surprise surprise. Dispatching a small mob of kobolds, I turned to the group to get a status check as we had been up here for awhile before Oden grabbed me by the shoulder and pointed down the hall. I didn't immediately see what he was pointing at, but eventually, a six-player group came into view, having obviously spent a fair amount of time up here as there armor looked worn down and their demeanor was a rather tired one.

So far, we usually avoided dealing with other players and most others did the same, but we were in a single hallway and they were going in the direction we were traveling as well. And I was not done grinding for today.

"Lets talk to them. At the very least, warn them that the boss room is coming up, and not to take it lightly. If they're a solid enough level, we can invite them to the raiding party I guess. Pay attention to their personalities, I at least trust the people Argo finds us, I don't know about a random group of players we meet on the field." I instructed my party as I walked out to meet them. Oden fell into step to my right, Jando was slightly behind me to my left and Silica had followed behind him, not comfortable at all with players she didn't know.

Not really knowing how else to start the conversation as the other party drew close, I said "Hello. I'm Saxon. You guys are the first party we've encountered this high up." and left the comment open.

The lead player, a blue-haired, tall sword-and-shield user stepped forward and introduced himself as the party leader. "I'm Diabel. And I can say the same, I did not expect to run into other people in the dungeon at all, let alone this high up."

I assessed him quickly enough. He spoke in a friendly manner, and sported a charismatic smile. He, like me, stayed at battle-ready, but relaxed after I made my introduction. Nodding, I spoke, "The mobs up here are the best Floor One has to offer, we've been training here for the past couple of days. Is this your first time making in this high?" I noted that some of his party members looked incredulous at my comment, and one of them even had the gaul to point at Silica and make some comment I didn't hear. However, I kept my expression cool mainly blank, waiting for his answer.

"Ah, well... yes. We were actually looking specifically for the boss room. We need to beat it if we hope to ever win this game, and the people back at the first town need to know its possible!" Diabel spoke passionately, you could just see it in his eyes. He wanted to beat this game, and perhaps he was more noble about it than I was.

"Not with that party your won't. You'll get slaughtered before you ever take out the first health bar." Nodding to his group behind him. His party didn't immediately register what I had just said, but I know Diabel did after his face changed to surprise.

"Wait, you found the room?" he asked quickly.

"Yeah, scouted it too," by this point the rest of his party were now all ears, initial skepticism aside, replaced by either wonder or raw suprise, "Illfang the Kobold Lord. He's a nasty piece of work. I've actually already composed a battle plan and strategy for tackling him. After me and my party gain one more level, we plan on holding a meeting to form a raiding party. We should be able to do that in two days time." There! For a split second, I caught something. Diabel eyes narrowed sharply, but almost as soon as it happened, he switched back to looking surprised. Unfortunately, I think I had let my facial features slip as well after I saw the change in him, but I couldn't be sure. In a quick reflex action to keep him occupied, I brought up my interface and sent him a friend request, "Just as long as you guys are strong enough especially against the mobs up here, you'd be great to have alongside us in the raid. What do you say?" A quick glance at his party confirmed they were smiling and that their morale was definitely raising from this information.

"How could I say no?" Diabel asked, accepting my friend request, "I want to go back now and let everyone know that the boss actually has been found! We should-" I cut him off before he good extrapolate much further.

"I've actually already been telling some strong players I know that I holding a meeting at noon in the Atrium at Torubana Town on Saturday," actually, I'm bluffing somewhat, but he didn't need to know that, "so can you tell people who wish to help the same? And please, I already scouted and like I said, this boss is no joke, make sure everyone you invite is strong. At least level ten strong, twelve would be better." I requested before adding, "these are people's lives on the line, its pointless to try and prove that we can do it if we lose even one person in the process. I won't allow it."

Everything else between us aside, our eyes met for the briefest moment, and Diabel did understand exactly what I said. He nodded before thanking me and departing with his team.

Turning back to mine, I merely cocked an eyebrow waiting for what they had to say. Oden gave his misgivings, "Something about him rubbed me the wrong way."

Jando thought he was chill and noble "as fuck", which I would've agreed with if I wasn't trying to gauge Diabel's reactions as hard as I was.

Silica thought his heart was in the right place. I had to agree. Like me, he wanted to do the right thing. I could figure that much out.

"Anyway, we'll know for sure when we plan the raid. Lets keep grinding, or I doubt we level before then." I told them.

* * *

Standing at the the bottom of the Atrium, slightly behind Diabel, I watched as he skillfully spoke to the crowd that showed up, motivating them for all the right reasons. He was a good orator, much better than I considered myself at least. I was glad I let him do the talking. He inadvertently claimed credit for finding the boss room when he had said that his group found the room today, but he technically wasn't lying, since he had come straight from the boss room to this Atrium. After the crowd finished cheering Diabel for his speech, he was about to go on when I noticed someone new at the top of the Atrium.

"Just a second-" the person yelled before leaping down the steps to where we stood. "My name's Kibaou. I want to say something before we take on the boss. Some of you here need to apologize to the two-thousand who have died so far!"

"Kibaou-san, are you referring to the beta testers?" Diabel asked in a low voice.

"Of course I am! On the day this stupid game started, the beta guys ditched us beginners, and they all disappeared. They took all the good hunting spots and easy quests for themselves, so only they could get stronger. And then, they just ignored the rest of us. I'm sure someone here was in the beta! They should get on their knees and apologize, and give up all the items and money they've hoarded. Otherwise, we can't trust them to protect us as party members, and they shouldn't trust us!"

Well shit, what kind of ditch did this asshat grow up in... I nearly thought aloud.

"Not all the beta testers ditched us!" I heard a familiar voice yell. I turned and saw Silica run up to me and facing Kibaou, unknowingly giving away that I was a beta tester, but oh well. I didn't care, that's what little sisters do right? Put you in horribly awkward social situations? Right?

Like I said, I wouldn't know, being an only child and all.

"Saxon-san didn't ditch me when I was alone in the Town of Beginnings, and scared because I learned I wouldn't be able to go home!" she was practically screaming at Kibaou, and I was silently rooting her on, "He's been nothing but nice to his friends and we wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for him! Out of everyone here, he's trying the hardest to make sure everyone can get back home, because he already knew how to play and-" I had to stop her here, placing my hand on her shoulder.

Looking back up at Kibaou, I reached into my pocket and pulled out my Guidebook. "You want all my items? Here start with this." And tossed it at him. "You recognize that as the Guidebook available to everyone for free from every market place correct? It was written by a beta tester, with information given by myself and several other beta testers who have been playing as hard as we could the past month. This is the best we can do for the 9,000 new players." I unsheathed two-handed Iron Broadsword +3 and pointed it at him with one hand, subtly showing him my Strength stat was every bit as high as his. "You want my equipment and col. Here, take it. After you kill me."

Gasps went up around the atrium at my bold statement. However, I was pissed at this guy, not for his anger at the beta testers, since I effectively shut that down, but for his want to sow distrust, discord; his disgusting, derogatory demeanor; and derelict, disgraceful attitude towards the reason we were here: to band together and defeat the first boss.

"However, do NOT expect me to get on my knees and apologize – especially to the likes of you – for leaving people behind. We're stuck in the death game and I have every intention to see it beat so the thousands can stop suffering in the first town. I trained on the best mobs so I can be secure in the knowledge that I would not die when I looked the first boss in the eye and scouted him seven days ago! I took all the quests I could find so I could level my party up faster and make us stronger so that I could prove to them that we CAN beat this game! I'm shouldering this burden for the thousands who don't want to risk their lives over a stupid game – I can't blame them! No one needs to die anymore!

I'm sorry that two-thousand have, but I can't watch over everyone all the time! What I can do is fight. I can fight mobs day in and night out, I can fight floor bosses to bring people hope that we're going to get out of here one day, I can fight you! Who DARES to drop in not to contribute to the raid's noble cause but to hinder it with distrust among those gathered here today – I will not bend my knee to you, nor anyone here, for being a beta tester. You still want my stuff, then kill me for it, kill me and continue to tear away at the possibility that anyone will leave this place alive!"

I finished my rage-impassioned speech with a flourish of my sword as I sheathed it. And still he DARED to look mad, as if I took something away from him, prevented him from some arbitrary goal of his... well, I guess I did, but dammit I felt righteously empowered for once. I kept my features stone-solid and met his gaze until he balked and sat down.

There was no applause this time, no cheering and whooping for a good speech, and as I looked around the Atrium, I realized that Kibaou may have actually won this round. People looked skeptical. Though in my defense, there were several people who held respect for me in their eyes, it certainly wasn't everyone. Convincing them that beta testers aren't selfish assholes was going to forever be an uphill battle, unfortunate, but I guess it comes with the privilege.

If nothing else, these people did know I was sincere in my words. I would come to find, as we continued the first Raiding Conference (as it was later christened), that everyone trusted, or perhaps expected, me to lead.

They didn't like me, but it was enough.

Perhaps it was the vote of confidence from Silica that let me stay as one of the leaders of the raiding group. My claim to being the one who scouted the boss also held sway. But a lot of support for me came from a surprising corner. As we began strategy-talk, a large African American actively engaged himself in it, and subtly kept bringing it back to me, using his stature to effectively make sure that not only did people hear him, but people heard and listened to me as well. It was truly a masterful manipulation that showed his support of my lead role, and because of his aura, people followed. Needless to say, I was impressed. It was to this end that I invited him to my party after the conference was over.

We got to know each other as we made the trek to the first Floor Boss. Mainly his name was Agil and that he was a bartender on the other side. I told him we'd most definitely have to stop by for drinks when we made it back.

For the most part, other than mindless small talk, getting to the room was a quiet affair, and before long, I found myself looking at the closed doors again, with a hand on one door. Diabel gave a quick motivational speech before turning to me and nodding, placing a hand on the other door.

There was nothing else left, all that mattered now was the large Kobold Lord on the other side of this door. Knowing that, we pushed it open and I stepped into the room for a second time.

* * *

Author's Notes

Okay, so I gotta apologize for not doing basically everything I said I would do in my previous Author Notes. Like the battle, introducing the anime's two main characters, and explaining why the story's named as it is. I do promise all that will happen for sure in the next chapter.

The aforementioned was all included in the outline I wrote for myself labeled Chapter 3, but when I got to the point I did, I realized the chapter wanted to end, despite only being halfway through the outline. So bam. Chapter end. I'll try to have the next chapter up over the weekend, but no promises. Real life is metaphorically kicking me in the nuts right now.

Again, I own nothing in the story except for the character Saxon and all the mistakes I made while writing.

Because I have no beta.

Shoutout to SilentHillCitizn to being my first review (WOO) and big thanks to those who have followed or favorited the story. I 'preciates it!

And of course, big thanks to you! For reading!


	4. Chapter 4

Raptor Gang

Chapter 4

* * *

Six parties, add two solo players. That's what made up the Raiding Party. By the game's standards, it wasn't even a full Raiding Party, but everyone was at least the approved safety-net level, and my party (who we decided would be the boss's focus party due to our versatility and strengths) was rather over-leveled by what was also the game's (assumed) standards.

To contest Illfang the Kobold Lord, three parties plus the solo players were instructed to deal with the Ruin Kobold Sentinel mob spawns. That left my party, Diabel's party and a third party to deal with Illfang himself. The strategy here was simple in theory, each party that stood face-to-face with Illfang had two people able to tank, two people as damage dealers, and that left two utility spots. Both Diabel's party and the third group rounded off with sword-and-shield users able to both tank and be damage dealers.

My party was a little bit different, only cause we were a five-person party instead of six. Jando and I would switch as the main tank with our parrying abilities, Oden and Silica were the main damage dealers. Agil was instructed to be ready to either switch in if me or Jando failed at tanking, or if Oden or Silica were unable to get away from Illfang quickly enough.

Well, this is what we all agreed on. It was time to see if we could run this live and make it through successfully. The doors finished opening and the room lit-up in its brilliant blend of blinding colors, signifying the Floor Boss fight. Illfang jumped down from his throne and there was no hesitation as he started his charge toward us, with a line of Sentinels walling in front of him.

This was planned for however, and Kibaou and his party rushed out to stop the Sentinels in their tracks as me and Oden sprinted ahead to meet the Floor Boss. I made the first parry, Oden landed the first hit on Illfang, almost immediately, and I had to grin as I watched the first bar of health drop a bit. Nothing too large, but enough that everyone in the Raiding Party knew that Illfang was now injured.

And this was the pace set for the first part of the battle. I opted more often than not to switch in and face the boss as I had worked on my parrying and strength since the scouting and was the only person in the Raiding Party who didn't lose health when locked in a parry with Illfang. And frankly, I was rather enjoying myself. My entire party switched out with Diabel's and I reflected in our downtime that this was the experience that made MMOs the incredibly fun games that they were. I figured everyone here was more worried about their own safety as opposed to enjoying this "game" but I was certainly having fun.

Diabel's party switched out with the third party (Squad C) sooner than I expected and I got in position to switch in myself, Oden taking position behind me to the right. I smiled, fully aware of the threat of dying, but still elated that I could enjoy this as the game it should've been.

Diabel called the order to switch and I rushed in now knowing what to expect and manage to land a clean Diagonal on Illfang quickly following it up with a defensive Vertical. My next Horizontal was blocked by the buckler, but I still anticipated the follow-up attack and got my parry in just in time to lock and Oden and Silica came in with a pincer-formation attack with both Jando and Agil ready to cover them in case they picked up any aggro. They didn't though and the attention stayed on me as I traded a few blows with Illfang. Diabel called out a switch, and my group backed out except me, even though I should have.

Something about following orders keeps people alive, but I was never a militant type – that was Oden's shtick. I only stayed long enough to trade a few more blows before switching out with a shield user and taking in everyone else's situation. Squad C's tanks had the least amount of health of anyone, so I told them to sit the next rotation out and heal, and my group will jump in again after Squad B.

Further, the mob control groups were doing an excellent job of keeping the Sentinel's off of us. Though they kept respawning at a ridiculous rate, the parties dealing with them effectively formed into pairs as suggested and were systematically taking them down almost as fast as they were spawning.

The battle raged on in this matter for the better part of an hour before things went drastically wrong.

A little over half of the boss's health was gone and Squad C was about to switch in for Squad B. Though C fought valiantly as a whole, they were most likely the weakest between my party and B as they had taken the most damage so far. The tank that had less health stepped up to face Illfang but at some point hesitated, or perhaps was simply too slow, I wasn't too sure. I wasn't too focused on the situation until the tank took a direct hit and was sent flying into the back-up tank for Squad C. Both of their health bars dropped well below half, almost near where red started. Squad C continued to deteriorate as the damage dealer was now wide open and under attack. Eventually, he was sent flying as well, his health now in the red.

To make things worse, all the Ruin Kobold Sentinels seemed to register our plight and focused onto the most injured players like a shark that had a taste of blood.

"Cover them! Hurry!" I tell my party as I run out to meet Illfang before he reaches them himself. Due to his focus on other players I actually manage to land a very clean hit from behind before we proceed to trade blows with each other. More often than not, my attacks are stopped by the shield and I'm forced to reset my sword to catch the axe, or else execute a dodge. Between just the Kobold Lord and I, we were at a decisive stalemate, unable to gain the upper hand on each other at all, but things go sour fast when a Sentinel spawns and targets the closest thing to it: me.

Realizing I wasn't going to be able to keep up with another opponent, I jump back and try to maneuver so that the Sentinel is between me and Kobold, but I can't get around quickly enough while having to block its poleaxe at the same time. Timing a hit to knock the poleaxe away, I'm immediately forced to dodge backwards to avoid Illfang's axe. The Sentinel by now has reset and is readying another Sword Skill. Illfang, however, is still finishing his swing – I opt to attack him, despite knowing the outcome.

Illfang blocks; I'm unable to bring my large two-hander by into position to block the poleaxe that hits my side, so I didn't bother trying instead tanking the blow and trying to catch both the Sentinel and Illfang in one wide Horizontal immediatyl after. The attack knocks back the Sentinel, but is blocked by Illfang's axe. I refuse to let him hold a parry and breakaway, getting Illfang between me and his minion before blocking a fast attack and responding with a chain of Sword Skills.

By now, I was out of ideas, all I could do was stand toe-to-toe with Illfang until I messed up or the Sentinel came back around – which it did sooner than I expected. I was pushed back entirely on the defensive, unable to get off one attack without leaving myself open to either enemy. I was stringing mainly Diagonals as they were the easiest to chain together, though the odd Horizontal was thrown in. I even managed to get one solid blow on the Sentinel at some point and possibly had caused Illfang to block an attack or two as well. I couldn't be sure, all my focus was entirely on the giant axe that I was dancing a dangerous duet with.

I'm not sure how much time passed, I recall wondering if someone out of the forty-some players was going to step up and save my ass, when I finally was outmaneuvered. A combined attack from two different angles left me wide open no matter which way I defended. I blocked Illfang knowing his attacks hit much harder, and much to my surprise, an Anneal Blade came up and knocked away the poleaxe that was singing for my head, and even more surprising than that was a blur of motion that attacked the Sentinel and destroyed it. I glanced at my saviors quick enough to recognize that it was not in fact Jando who wielded this particular Anneal Blade, but a black-haired swordsman who I've met once before, and his partner who was a slim figure in a cloak wielding a rapier.

I grunted out a quick thanks before breaking the parry I was in and proceeding to continue my spar with Illfang. At this point, I figured it was only a matter of time before at least Oden got back into position. It took a few minutes, but eventually I was able to trade off with Jando and down what I realized was my first health potion of this battle. And I needed it too, Illfang and his Kobold minion were able to drop my health down to about thirty-five percent left, well into yellow.

The normal battle pace set at the beginning returned, but most of Squad C were shaken up pretty hard, almost all of us could tell, Diabel entered the fray himself and my party spent more time focusing on Illfang so that C wouldn't be in too much danger, but most of us were tiring, myself included.

Thankfully, we were reaching the end of the battle. Silica landed the hit that forced Illfang to change style and toss his axe and buckler away, for a sword.

Except, that wasn't a talwar like we were expecting.

My perception of time slowed, I had heard Diabel yell something or other and run out, but I don't think he had any idea that something was wrong. I heard someone else behind me yell something as well, but I didn't quite register it. I started chasing after Diabel.

I didn't recognize exactly what the sword Illfang pulled out was, other than not a curve-sword class. I had to guess katana class, but I wasn't sure how to fight that, though the Sword Skills were known. Diabel started a skill at the same time Illfang did. I couldn't identify it based on stance, all I could do was react once it started, but I still was running to catch up to Diabel.

What little I knew of katana skills came from NPCs in the beta – that katanas focused purely on offensive speed and accuracy, good for landing high frequency critical hits and the skills were great for one-on-one dueling, but could wildly execute area attacks around the user. Surrounding Illfang now would have to only be done with tanks, and more importantly, everyone would need a switch-out partner.

The Kobold Lord dashed towards Diabel much faster than I had anticipated it could. He wasn't ready at all and the attack sent him flying but Illfang wasn't finished. He dashed forward again intent on landing a follow-up blow that Diabel would find impossible to block or dodge, though I was on an intercept course. I wouldn't get directly in-between the two in time but I'd get close enough to land an attack on Illfang. And that was enough.

Illfang's attack was successfully interrupted, but now its ire was directed wholly at me. I didn't like my chances, but I had no other choice. I couldn't be stopped here. If I was, then I really would have been nothing but talk and I'm not accepting that. I attacked first. None of my blows connected with Illfang as he wielded the katana readily enough to block all my attacks, but I could not let up.

I was in over my head though, the strength of a katana is in its speed and I'm a two-handed swordsman. One of my Diagonals got knocked back strongly and Illfang followed it up near instantly and I got knocked back a good five or six meters. I had no time to get back on my feet as I hear the whistling of the large katana and right before it connects, Agil knocks it back with a well timed Whirlwind skill. Its all I can do to thank him and jump back while pulling out my second potion.

Jando was about ready to switch in, but he did not need to bother as Kirito and his partner and rushed out to take on Illfang. And I had to admit, I was pretty impressed at their teamwork. Kirito was able to successfully block all the attacks from Illfang without losing health, and his partner could step in and land an attack at speeds that rivaled Oden's. At one point, I notice that Kirito manages to block the same attack that I did earlier, and I saw the same results start to play out in my head. I was about to yell at him to duck, but a blur of motion and suddenly his partner was lined up to attack again, except for all that speed, it still wasn't going to be enough.

"Asuna!" I hear Kirito yell, and just in time as I realize that is who the cloaked figure must be as she ducks and the katanas swings past her head ripping the cloak off and I get a glimpse at a lot of brown hair and slim figure before she executes a Linear, knocking Illfang back further. They continued to chip away at the rest of the boss's health before Illfang gets a lucky hit in on Kirito, knocking him back into Asuna.

And once again, Agil to the rescue with a second money-shot Whirlwind. Several things happened at this point and I did not exactly keep track of all of it. Yelling was coming from behind us where the rest of the raiding party most likely was, Illfang was spinning around after being blocked by Agil, Jando had sprinted up and started a Sword Skill, Oden was shouting "Look out!" and Kirito was being helped up by his partner.

A loud clang and Jando caught the katana in a parry, but there were Sentinels running at him. Oden dashed out to meet one, I followed swiftly, tearing my eyes away from Illfang. I saw Silica right beside me, that is until she dashed out and attacked the Sentinel I was running towards.

"Switch!" she yelled out, and I swung down the hardest Vertical I could and watched the Sentinel explode into pieces. Oden was dealing with his effectively, but slower as it was just himself. Yet more Sentinels were charging towards us. I looked back at the other squads about to scream bloody murder at them when I heard a different scream overtake my ears.

Turning I saw Illfang falling backward, a large slash mark across its body, and Kirito just landing from I'm assuming a dash of some sort. What perhaps caught my attention the most was the HP bars of Illfang.

All of four of them were completely empty.

And with that, Illfang the Kobold Lord exploded into several hundreds of polygons before disappearing from existance. A short pause, and then a big "Congratulations!" appeared above the throne.

Another short pause, and then cheering. Yelling, whooping, hell I might've even smiled, but I'm not too sure. At this moment, I realized how incredibly tired I actually was, and how detached and far away everything seemed to be. I fell back against a pillar and glanced at my rewards screen. An insane amount of experience and col, and three items. I open up my inventory to find a two Healing Crystals and a healing potion superior to anything available on the first floor.

By the time I had gotten all this information processed in my own mind, people were chatting with one another excitedly and swapping items and whatnot. I glanced around, finding most of my party gathered around Jando who seemed to be holding a curve sword of some sort. Agil was talking to Kirito's partner, Asuna, and as for Kirito himself, he was still standing alone going through his interface. The rest of the Raiding Party was scattered about. I got up and started to walk towards Kirito to congratulate him on the getting the Last Attack Bonus, but Agil beat me to it.

"Hey, congratulations, that was splendid swordsmanship. This victory belongs to you." Agil said to Kirito.

"I totally agree, you saved my ass more than once in there, thank you. You deserve that Last Attack Bonus." I added, catching up to them.

Kirito looked at us, and it seemed like he was about to say something when a yell grabbed our attention.

"That filthy beta tester! He waited to attack the boss just so he could get the Last Attack! He doesn't deserve it at all!"

I turned to see the asshat that managed to garner much of my ire since I met him. Man I did not want to deal with him now. Unfortunately, the situation was escalating rapidly and I hadn't even managed to get in a word in edgewise.

"He knew the boss's final form better than anyone here, but he didn't come out and tell anyone, and left us all in danger! Just because he wanted that the last attack!" and other various sentiments such as these were being all yelled out at will now, and frankly, I was at a lost. They weren't focused on me for whatever reason, but Kirito was getting ragged on hard, and he did not deserve any bit of it, well, in my opinion. I glanced around, Silica wore a sad expression on her face, Oden's face was silent and almost unreadable, Jando was glancing between the various people yelling, Agil and Asuna both were trying to reason with Kiboau. I looked back at Kirito, but his head was down and I couldn't see his face.

Then I saw Diabel step out of the crowd, his armor destroyed, but himself still in one piece though he looked worse for wear. He grabbed Kibaou on the shoulder and had started saying something to him, but I couldn't make it out, and before I could move closer to listen, I heard the oddest sound.

Laughter. Coming from only one possible person behind me. I turned to see Kirito laughing loudly – hell, almost maniacally – before walking slowly towards the group of those who were accusing him of foul play.

"Look around, and tell me how many people are in this Raiding Party. It can't be more than forty people, and of those forty, I bet there are not more than three beta testers here. That's because most of the thousand beta testers sucked, and didn't even know how to level up. All of you here now are better than most of them. But me? I'm not just any beta tester. I made it higher than any other during the beta test. I knew the boss's techniques because I fought with mobs that had katana skills on floors much higher up. I know more than any information broker as well." Kirito spoke, the timbre of his voice a quiet drawl.

"That's... that's worse than any beta tester! You're cheating! You're a cheater!" someone said. I had to roll my eyes at that, at the obscene asininity of these players. But the yells of "Beta tester!" and "Cheater!" just continued and I looked back at Kirito to find him smiling.

"Beater... huh." he drew out slowly. "I like it." With that, he manipulated his interface and equipped what I assumed was the Last Attack Bonus Item. "From now on, don't confuse me with those newbies." And he turned around and headed toward the large door that led to the next floor.

I looked back at the Raiding Party to find them all dumbstruck with surprise, confusion, and possibly fear. I wanted nothing else to do with them. Meeting Diabel's eyes, I nodded before grabbing my friends' attention with a "Ssst" and giving the rally hand signal. Knowing they would follow I turned and followed Kirito's footsteps only to find him engaged in conversation with Asuna at the top of the stairs. As we caught up to them, all I could make out was a question that Asuna asked Kirito.

"What about you?"

Not knowing the context, I didn't say anything as my party approached them. Kirito however chose not to answer instead turning to me.

"It's Saxon right? I'm sorry about that, I didn't intend for you to be considered a 'beater' as well." he apologized.

I smiled and shook my head. "No, that was well done back there, and you're right in that the beta testers don't deserve the stigma many of them got. Besides, I prolly earned the name beater myself. I'll carry that cross." At this, I looked back at Jando, Oden, and Silica. "I spose this means you guys'll carry the stigma with me." I said it as a statement, but Oden caught the underlying question.

"You know it. Jesus wasn't alone when he carried his cross either." he told me. I laughed.

"Lets not run too far with this metaphor." I told them before turning back to Kirito. "I think Diabel's plan was to go back to the Town of Beginnings and let everyone know the good news. I think Agil wanted to go with him to. So that leaves it to us to find the next town. Would both of you like to party with us? We'd be a full six person team."

Kirito looked tempted, but something crossed his features and he shook his head. "I'm sorry, but I'm going to be a solo player from here on out... Take care." he told us before opening the door and disappearing through it.

Asuna started to take a step and follow him, but I put a hand on her shoulder before she stepped through, "Heya, we don't know each other, but I imagine we'll prolly see you again for the next Floor Boss. However, can I ask you a favor: keep an eye on Kirito. This game isn't kind to solo players at all. Every life here is precious, but I doubt we can afford to lose someone of his caliber."

She stared at me blankly for a few moments before asking, "Well, sure, but why me?"

"You seem to be the only person he seems to get along with now. He was a loner from what I knew in the beta, and I see it carried over. And now that he's a known beater... well... you know." I trailed off.

Asuna looked troubled as she turned to face where Kirito disappeared through the door. She turned back to me with a more resolute look on her face, however, "Okay. I'll try. I think I owe it to him anyway."

I nodded at that, "By the way, I'm Saxon, and my friends here are..."

* * *

Three days had pass since the defeat of Illfang the Kobold Lord and our finding of the first town on the second floor, Urbus City. The partying and high spirits still haven't stopped. When the first wave of people teleported up after my group activated the Teleport Gate at the Urbus City Plaza, my entire party was instantly swarmed by people who wanted to congratulate or thank us. It had taken three hours before we were able to breakaway, realize Silica was missing, find her swamped in admirers, save her, and leave the city. I realized since anyone could access Urbus City via Teleport Gate freely, and the mob fields in the surrounding area were going to fill up quickly. I wanted to move quicker. Thankfully, I knew roughly how to get to the next town, Marome Village, with relative ease.

On some level, I had to envy Kirito and Asuna, as I know for sure they had to have spent the three hours I lost grinding hard on mobs in the area. And I desperately wanted to hit the next level as well as make some money. I haven't mentioned it to my friends yet, but I was ready to formalize a guild between us.

The guild creation process was relatively simple, only requiring a minimum of three agreeing players, a title, banner, and a substantial amount of col. Of course, everything but the last part was easy. In fact, that's why there were currently no known guilds, other than the Army, which dominated the first floor now.

A guild charter cost 500,000 col.

In the beta, leveling scaled quicker and the first floor had taken less than a week to clear. Furthermore, I do not recall the any of the floor bosses in beta dropping so much experience or col. The results in the live death game were at least tripled that of the beta test, an abnormality compared to the rest of the game.

Albiet, given the scale of how much experience was needed to level, I only went from twenty percent experience to ninety percent whereas most lower level people had leveled, but seventy percent was taking more than a day to get normally.

On top of that, the col rates didn't decrease from beta, and considering "playing" was basically all we did, col income was pretty high for my party. Ergo, if we pooled even a little bit, half-a-million wasn't unaffordable at all. Since I wanted to create the guild myself, basically becoming the official leader, I wanted to front most of the money, so grinding on newer, more rewarding enemies was high on my priority list.

And as we made our way to Marome Village, I explained just that to my friends, asking that they collectively pitch in 150,000 total col to round out the 350,000 I was fronting. Everyone agreed readily, which brought a load off my mind as I had no idea how the idea was going to be received, especially after I mentioned the guild cost.

I also learned as we traveled that I was the only one in my party that earned a substantial amount of col from Illfang, everyone else got really sweet items of some sort, the best of which was Jando's brand new Kopis, a wickedly strong curve sword that was every bit an equal to his already upgraded Anneal Blade. While the Kopis only had six possible upgrades levels, it base damage was higher than the Anneal Blade's and it also boasted a slightly better durability as well. Furthermore, it was known that curve swords were better at landing critical hits compared to straight sword, but kept the high damage that katanas lacked. While parrying is better down with a straight sword, it was definitely still possible with a straight sword, Jando would just have to watch out for heavier attacks and know when to dodge.

Of course, this would only come with practice. And its not like we had anything else to do now that we were approaching Marome Village.

It was several hours later when we finished grinding for the evening and returned to Marome to unload anything excessive. We had already booked an inn when we first checked in and would be meeting at the well in the center of the village after we were done selling, trading, eating, and whatnot. While we all generally stuck together, it wasn't always the case in a safe-zone where we would split up for small things: wanting to eat something different, needing to visit other kinds of shops, etc. Since I was doing nothing but selling, I decided to go straight for an NPC since I realistically didn't expect player merchants to have ventured this far out so quickly. Though the items would disappear to the system, at least I was getting some col for it, though that would eventually go into the system soon enough as well. I bought some food and headed out to the agreed tavern where the rest of my party would meet me for a much needed debrief of our current situation.

When Jando finally meandered in, I addressed everyone, talking of the normal day-to-day things, such as level quotas for this floor, skill review, and any new develops with information from NPCs. I had bought a journal which I used to keep track of anything noteworthy we found. There were so many NPCs in one town however that often one town filled more than one or two pages; anything such as drop rumors, extra skill information, dungeon rumors, and special events (which I noted down with a star) went into my journal. Our debriefs over the next couple of days would take longer than they had previously considering most of Floor Two was unexplored.

And this one in particular was going to be something special.

We all pretty much ate as we talked, and when we reached the end of the usual information, and similarly our meals, I brought back up my idea of starting a guild.

"I think its about time we gave ourselves an identity. We're prolly going to be recognizable from this point on, so lets make a statement about it. Call me vain, but you two know we would be doing this eventually, regardless of our status." I posed, addressing the second part to Oden and Jando. And it was true, in all the previous MMOs we had played, we created a guild or faction specifically for ourselves, if nothing else but for more sense of unity. However, SAO took everything out of context of a normal MMO. While I wanted to carry some pride of being one of the first official guilds that would be clearers on the frontlines, that very status would carry the message I've been telling people from day one: we were going to clear this game. That was our ultimate goal, our precept, what unified further than our normal bonds of friendship, and what separated us from the rest.

Everyone here, Silica included, knew that this goal had been at the front of my mind. It was the drive behind my every attack, the fuel I used to push everyone to do their best, the reason I wasn't so uncomfortable with stepping forward into the spotlight and taking a stand. Jando had, a week or so earlier commented that I might've started becoming obsessed with it.

Nobody disagreed.

And I just laughed.

And for whatever reason, they stayed with me, through it all. I remembered when Silica would initially tremble at the sight of anything bigger than her, and over several days, would get progressively better at dealing with her fears, her confidence growing with each level.

Jando, almost constantly switching between weapon classes, never once complained that we were all pulling ahead in skills because we knew our focus, and worked just as hard as the rest of us to make up for it. He now seemed resolute in use the Curve Sword skill class.

And Oden relegated all his skills to something useful pertaining to battle, searching, listening, claws and throwing picks, Oden was perhaps the most versatile of any of us in combat.

We were not a full party, but we certainly were more than enough for a guild in my eyes. And as I collected the money from everyone, to be able to afford the incredibly high-priced guild charter, Jando posed the question that I had waited a good while to come.

"So, you know what our guild is going to be called?" he asked.

"Yeah. Raptor Gang."

* * *

Author's Notes

I'm SOOOOOOOOOO sorry this two weeks longer than I originally anticipated.

I did have a majority of it written two weekends back, but as I was in the MIDDLE of saving it, Open Office freaks the fuck out on me and I lose EVERYTHING. Super demotivational.

But I did deliver what I intended: intro Kirito and Asuna, as well as show why Raptor Gang is the name of this story. If anyone is curious, there is no real backstory behind why specifically Raptor Gang. It is just a name after all.

Thank you all for reading, favoriting, following, and/or reviewing! I 'preciates all the things!

To address two of the reviews:

ShadowFreddyRaven: Sorry, but I do not understand Spanish.

starburst98: You are perceptive! Don't worry, I love tension and drama, and shit well be hitting the fan soon, I'm just not too sure when. D= hahaha

And thank you Meru-64!

So, hope y'all enjoyed Chapter 4, 5 will come soon, but IRL has been nothing but difficult, so no promises.

As always, I own nothing but Saxon and the mistakes.

One final thought: the anime is sposed to come out in English dub sometime soon. I'm a fan of dub myself so I'm looking forward to it. Hopefully they do it right!


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